Just make sure to put a tarp over the USS Cap on a Cane when Trump’s around…
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The academic usage (in ethology) is more interesting than the relatively new pejorative usage.
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Any impeachment inquiry opens up a lot of doors as it suddenly turns the House subpoenas into something with Constitutional force behind it. Right now it seems like there is little consequence to blowing off any requests the House makes.
This is ultimately a power struggle between branches of government. Pelosi and others are effectively saying: We don’t really want the power we have, we’re ready to give up the Legislature if it makes things more convenient.
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This! And despite the fact that he self declares a “WIN” with pretty fucking much everything, we know that the giant orange manbaby has a tendency to squirm and just give up and walk away (while declaring that he won) when he’s about to lose horribly. I say take every step towards that, and maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll take his ball and go home (or at least go to visit his idol Putin).
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It still boggles my mind how some ignorant senator from KY has as much power than the executive branch. Part of me wants to believe that when some other person is the majority leader that they will execute legislation to reduce the influence of the senate majority leader, but on the other hand we have a lot of clean-up to do once KY guy goes. Seriously, Kentucky? Is that your best and brightest GOP?
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Maybe I am misunderstanding something (probable). How do impeachment hearings imbue the House with extra subpoena powers that can’t be ignored?
I thought they already had such powers.
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Then make the case publicly, reinforce good governance norms wherever you can, and when he is acquitted you make use of it when those who acquitted him come up for reelection.
ETA: if we accept Pelosi’s assertions that they need more time, more investigation, to build an ironclad case… then it is probably not possible to ever impeach a president in the time before their current term ends. This is an unacceptable outcome to me.
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First off, that’s not the only reason. Second, I can’t speak for her cowardice, or lack thereof, but calling her “Republican in all but name” is ridiculous and inaccurate. Check out Pelosi’s voting record, and compare it to any Republican you care to name. Just because she doesn’t agree with you on the virtue of impeaching Trump right now, with the knowledge that the Senate will acquit him, doesn’t make her “Republican in all but name”.
Seriously, this reminds me of the Republicans during the Obama years, when they were yelling for “silver bullets” and calling every little hitch “Obama’s Katrina”. You’re sadly not going to get rid of Trump in one fell swoop, no matter how much he deserves to be booted out of the White House, and screaming at the Democratic leadership when they acknowledge this reality is not especially reality-based behavior.
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I suppose that it comes down to whether you think that Trump will be in a stronger or a weaker position after he has been acquited in the Senate. I think that he will be stronger because the threat of impeachment and removal from office will be gone. Really, there is only ONE SHOT at this. Even though a small part of me dies with every tweet and every stupid, poorly though out attempt to subvert the constitution, I want to make sure that we don’t waste our shot.
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How many of you pointed and laughed when the Republicans in the House voted again and again to overturn Obamacare for the umpteenth time as a futile and pointless gesture?
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I wish I had a million likes for this.
When did we start to believe that trying and failing was worthless? No trying-and-failing means no trying-and-succeeding.
Prosecutors face this exact same choice all the time. A cop kills a black kid and the fact is that a jury in that jurisdiction is just not going to convict a cop. And yet we all express outrage that there is no prosecution. We are right to express that outrage. By choosing not to prosecute the prosecutor has made themself part of the racist system instead of deciding to go down fighting against it.
This is exactly where America is at with impeachment. It’s a question of whether being rich and powerful exonerates you from crimes, whether there is really rule of law, whether anyone is above the law. Americans give their lives for this shit, and I don’t just mean fighting in foreign wars, I mean people who organize and fight oppression all over the country.
Pelosi has decided to be part of Trump-is-above-the-law rather than fighting against it. McConnell’s most powerful move has always been making sure votes never happen. There’s a reason they didn’t have hearings and vote Merrick Garland down. This is a win for McConnell.
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The most important thing that happens when you start the process is that the Executive branch can no longer deny congressional requests for documents. Trump is stonewalling all document requests related to the investigation. Start impeachment and we can see those documents which goes a long way towards providing the evidence needed to complete the process.
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People keep saying that they shouldn’t start impeachment proceedings because that will give Trump something to campaign on. As if he’s not going to find some other bullshit reason to whine on the campaign trail. He’s going to scream and holler about the persecution of the “witch hunt” no matter what. Better it be a fight over how corrupt the motherfucker is than how ineffectual the democrats are.
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Citation needed.
AFAIK, they can start new process every time they see new evidence of an impeachable offense.
edit to add this argument as to why they should
It is the proper duty of a representative body to look diligently into every affair of government and to talk much about what it sees. It is meant to be the eyes and the voice, and to embody the wisdom and will of its constituents. Unless Congress have and use every means of acquainting itself with the acts and the disposition of the administrative agents of the government, the country must be helpless to learn how it is being served; and unless Congress both scrutinize these things and sift them by every form of discussion, the country must remain in embarrassing, crippling ignorance of the very affairs which it is most important that it should understand and direct. The informing function of Congress should be preferred even to its legislative function
- SCOTUS United States v. Rumel
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No, Pelosi isn’t a Republican, and that was rhetorical overexaggeration for effect. But she might as well be, is the point. Also, if Pelosi says we aren’t impeaching, we aren’t – that, technically, makes her why we aren’t. Morals matter. Principles matter. You don’t stop arresting people for murder because you doubt the jury will convict.
“and screaming at the Democratic leadership when they acknowledge this reality is not especially reality-based behavior.”
I don’t want Democrats who acknowledge the shitty ‘reality’ Repubicans have created. I want Democrats who will fight it, fight it, fight it. And money-cushioned, safe-seat Nancy isn’t going to be all mean because, sniff, people who hate her already not might like it.
She’s lost my support, she’s lost my money, she’s lost my vote. Problem is, she’s also about to lose the country because she doesn’t think the right thing to do polls well enough. She’s a weathervane. I want the party to be lead by a compass.
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Why is it a given Trump will win the Republican primary? I think that Evan McMullin was a test run - if they run a “McMuffin-esque” candidate in the primary they may split the vote enough to deny Trump.
And he can be prosecuted once out of office.
I’ve already laid this out in other impeachment threads.
There are three things that Trump’s lawyers have cited to fight subpoenas from the House:
- lack of legislative purpose
- privacy
- executive privilege
Impeachment proceedings cut through all three objections and fast-track judicial consideration of subpoenas.
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That’s not legally true. Impeachment with acquittal for one offense does not block impeachment proceedings for another offense.
That’s actually a good argument for impeachment in the near term for obstruction, leaving the financial crimes as an ace in the hole for later impeachment.
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Yeah, he did so well in 2016…
Don’t see Trump losing the primary. It would be cool though if some libertarian or evangelical ran as a 3rd party candidate to split the republican vote.
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